Twenty-year old Fabienne Lütkemeier has ended her young riders' career with triple gold at the 2010 European Young Riders Championships hosted at Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff's gorgeous Schafhof in Kronberg im Taunus, Germany. On Sunday afternoon the venue got packed with people and all stands were full to the brim. Spectators had be rounded up in chained pens to keep them from stampeding the place.
Lutkemeier's 10-year old Hanoverian gelding D'Agostino (by De Niro x Shogun xx) is certainly the most gifted dressage horse in the Young Riders division but Fabienne also managed to present the sensitive chestnut in a very accomplished way. Her team and individual test presentation were of an extraordinary level but in the Kur to Music Finals she certainly had her hands full with a tense and electric D'Agostino.
Riding to drum based music in trot, Lutkemeier and D'Agostino showed phenomenal trot half passes in which the scope resembled that of a Satchmo. The half pass right was so big that the horse lost his regularity. The trot extensions were superb with suspension that lasts seconds. The extended walk did not have enough stretch in the neck and the gelding became tense and started to jog. The canterwork was executed to music by Seal. In the three tempi's the chestnut got incredibly hot and tense. At all times Lutkemeier kept her horse nicely up in the frame though some more relaxation was desirable. The end halt was ruined by a spook and 180° turn on the haunches.
The combination scored 79.350% placing first with three of five judges. The judges were quite unanimous in their assessment, three were are 79%, Swenden at 81% but Summanen at 76.750% (3rd).
Lutkemeier was on cloud nine at the press conference after the prize giving ceremony. "It's fantastic," she said, "I never expected to win all the medals. There are so many brilliant young riders here with nice horses. My horse was really nervous but he still did a really good job."
Lutkemeier bought D'Agostino one year and a half ago at Martin Waldvogel's stable in South Germany. He initially was a stallion but due to his complicated behaviour the family soon decided to have him gelded. Last year Fabienne had planned to do her first show at a small local event in Greven in order not to attract too much attention, but paradoxically all the big names were there. She won her first test ever and went on to get selected on the German Young Riders team for Ermelo 2009 as the third rider. At Ermelo she rose to stardom winning Kur gold. 2010 has only been better as Fabienne rode a World Record score at the 2010 CDI Wiesbaden in the young riders kur to music.
Second Silver for Sanneke
17-year old Sanneke Rothenberger won her second silver medal at Kronberg, on the last day for scoring 79,000% with her kur to music. Riding her custom made freestyle "A Siren's Song" by Cees Slings, Sanneke presented her 9-year old Oldenburg gelding Deveraux (by De Niro x Rohdiamant) is a very harmonious and obedient way.
The halt at entry was not entirely immobile, but the trot part was very smooth, flowing and engaged. The half passes and trot extensions were a highlight. The extended walk was super, but in the collected walk Deveraux lost clarity of rhythm. Both pirouettes were not ridden to perfection, but the tempi changes were all correct, even though they lacked ground cover and expression. In canter Deveraux has a tendency to lose the swing in his body and gets stiffer in the topline.
A disappointing issue in Rothenberger's ride was the fact that the volume of the music was so low that you could hardly hear the kur, let alone get carried away by it. The entire ride lacked drama and expression and an instant urge arose to go to the announcer and turn the volume full blast to get some musical liveliness and spirit in this test.
Her marks were 79.500% from Gardner (GBR), 77.750% from Svalling (SWE), 80.500% from Wüst (GER), 79.500% from Swenden (BEL) and 77.750% from Summanen (FIN), which totaled 79.000%.
"The ride was a bit hard today with the people in the corner," commented Sanneke. "He looked but was still focused on me." Rothenberger made the switch to Young Riders' level much earlier than most riders. "I didn't want to pressure myself into having to win everything again," she admitted. In 2008 Rothenberger the Junior Riders gold with Paso Doble, in 2009 with Deveraux. It was time for a new, harder challenge: Young Riders' level.
Everyone Surprised: Bronze for Anna Kasprzak
Though Danish young rider Anna Kasprzak has always been a top ten placing competitor at European competitions, her third place and bronze medal in the Kur to Music at Kronberg came somewhat as a surprise, to everyone including Kasprzak herself.
Aboard the 14-year old German bred Blue Hors Future Cup (by Florestan x Disco Star) Kasprzak rode to Michael Jackson music. The entire ride was very smooth with lots of balance and self carriage in the traversal movements. All movements were executed with much obedience but that does not take away from the fact that Future Cup should be much more engaged from behind and stepping under the body. Though the music was befitting, the entire ride lacked that sparkle of power and charisma. The high 77.300% was surprising, notwithstanding that Kasprzak showed good riding. At the end of her young rider's career she was able to grab a coveted individual medal at the European Championships.
Kasprzak completed the Danish triumph in Kronberg as the upcoming, enthusiastic dressage nation grabbed two team bronze medals, two junior silver medals and one young rider bronze medal. The last Danish individual young riders medal dates back to 1982 when Renee Igelski won gold with Baloo in Ikast, Denmark.
"This is unbelievable for the Danish team," said Kasprzak. "We are so happy here because we haven't got a medal since 1982."
Judge at C, Kathrine Wüst, praised Kasprzak's original choreography as one of the point scoring aspects of her ride. "Anna had a lovely, difficult choreography with creative lines, ideas and combinations," said Wüst. Kasprzak also won the "Classic Style Award" for kur rider with the nicest seat and light use of aids.
Kasprzak was supposed to ride her new star Donna Fetti at the 2010 European Young Riders Championships, but they made a last minute decision to switch back to Future Cup. "I competed Donna Fetti in Stadl Paura and Denmark and always had above 70%, but in Hagen I only got 64%, even though I had a good feeling," Kasprzak explained. "So we were unsure and decided for Future because the judges know him."
Kasprzak has already made the transition to Grand Prix level with Select Ecco (by Sandro Hit) and admitted to Eurodressage that "riding the Grand Prix is good for me. The movements come more quickly quickly after another. In the small tour you have too much time to think."
Dutch Van Mierlo Slightly Disappointed
The fourth and fifth place in the Kur to Music finals were filled up by two Dutch riders, Danielle van Mierlo and Robin Beekink, who scored 77.000% and 75.550%.
Van Mierlo had won the individual bronze in the individual test and the same was expected of her to do today. Unfortunately her Kur, infused with guitar sounds, was not as brilliant as her individual ride as a big mistake crept into the three tempi changes. The trot work was solid with smooth energetic half passes, but the trot extensions were rushed and the horse lacked self carriage as he hurried himself along the diagonal. The fact that Van Mierlo's Ucento is bred out of a harness horse dam explains why the big black stallion is quite stiff in the top line and is a leg mover. Danielle, however, has fantastic contact with the bit which is always soft and steady The extended walk had lots of overtrack. Van Mierlo tried to correct the mistake in the three tempi's by riding a new line of tempi changes, but instead she did another series of four tempi's.
"Ucento got wound up by the music and was quite tense the entire test," Van Mierlo commented. "Because of that I lowered the volume of the music during the sound check. I was able to keep him under control the entire test but in the tempi changes, which come at the end of the test, he started to run away and I had to collect them, which made me miss a change." Van Mierlo was quite disappointed after her ride. "I'm really bummed out and even a little bit sad. I never would have dreamt of a fourth place, but after the bronze medal of yesterday, I was hoping for another one. Tomorrow I'll be over the moon again with team silver and individual bronze."
Beekink Follows Closely in Fifth Place
Robin Beekink's lean thoroughbred looking Oldenburg Pablo (by Drossan x Sandro) was presented to very quick music which lacked pizzazz but which marked each movement very well. The dark bay gelding gets a bit quick in trot losing suspension even though he has nice lift in the knee. When Beekink half halts in the corners his trot transforms into a passage instead of collected trot. Grand Prix here we come! Beekink scored high points with her delightful canter tour: Lovely half passes, straight tempi changes. Four of judges ranked the pair in fifth or sixth place, Swedish Gustav Svalling even had her second with 78.000%.
"Robin rode a freestyle like a freestyle should be like," said Dutch chef d'equipe Tineke Bartels. "Everything was very lightfooted and it fitted. Pablo could not match to a few of the impression powerhouses who compete here at the European Championships, but the duo gave it their all and they definitely earned that fifth place."
Rave Review from the Judges
All judges, who spoke at the press conferences during the 2010 European Junior/Young Riders Championships were raving about the quality of riding this year. Judge at C in the Young riders Kur was Kathrina Wüst and she said that " it was a wonderful job to judge the young riders. We always talk about the big horses, like Totilas, and what a step forward we took, but it's the same at Young Riders' level. We blow up the sport on a positive side."
The quality was not only high at the top, but also in the middle of field some super rides were produced by riders from various nations. "Also the inexperienced nations have super good riders. Switzerland, Russia were now in the Kur Finals."
Judge Andrew Gardner commented that "history shows that the senior riders progressed from ponies through young riders to Grand Prix. They have come through the system. It equips them for the future. Many of these young riders have lots of experience and many medals under their belt. I've seen a strong foundation this week."
More photos and text in the Photo Gallery below
Text and Photos © Astrid Appels
Back to the 2010 EJYRC index